


First Meeting

by cloudyjenn



Series: Outsider [2]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-03
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-04 20:01:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5346770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudyjenn/pseuds/cloudyjenn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nera gets the chance to meet the man she heard through Magister Pavus' crystal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after 'The Second Crystal'.

Nera was surprised when Magister Pavus requested only her presence on the trip.  She might be his main bodyguard, but she was hardly his only bodyguard.  Magister Pavus had a whole staff of guards, mostly to help lend aid to keeping the growing Lucerni membership safe.  She would have thought he’d want more than one person to protect him as they traveled so far from home.

“I’m hardly helpless,” he complained when Nera brought up this point.  “I did fight alongside the Inquisitor, you know.”

“Yes, I’ve heard,” Nera deadpanned before she could stop herself.  To her surprise, Magister Pavus only laughed, his minor irritation evaporated.  

“I understand your concern, Nera,” he said.  “But I don’t want to advertise this trip.  We’ll be safer if we slip away and then return before anyone is really aware we’ve gone.”  

She still worried, but held her tongue.  Her job was to protect and obey Magister Pavus.  Not fret over him like he were a child or a box of kittens.  

Still, she made sure to sharpen both her swords and pack extra daggers.  Normally she simply fought with her hands and her staff, but extra precaution seemed like a good idea.  

Magister Pavus gave her an exasperated look when she showed up early the morning of departure with the swords crisscrossed against her back and her daggers hanging visibly from her waist.  “Nera, I’m going to meet a friend, not rushing into battle.”

“Battle can easily find you, Magister Pavus,” she said firmly, not daunted by his criticism.

“Ugh don’t remind me.  Find, bring your entire weapons cache,” he said with a shrug.  “As long as we _go_.”

Magister Pavus did seem eager, but Nera supposed if she were meeting her lover after months apart, she would be rather anxious.  She wondered what the mystery man looked like.  Since hearing the crystal call, she had not overheard him again and she had not had any luck finding the word ‘kadan’ in the library.  Nera didn’t think it was a word from Tevene or from the common tongue.  Could Magister Pavus’ lover be Dwarven?  Or Elvish?  She felt a flash of envy.  Elves were...ever so lovely.

“What’s on your mind?” Magister Pavus asked.  

They’d been riding silently for nearly an hour.  Magister Pavus didn’t care for silence.  Usually he preferred to fill it himself, but he also liked hearing opinions from his staff.

 

“I was curious about this friend of yours we’re meeting,” she said.

 

Nera kept her attention on their surroundings, but did glance at Magister Pavus’ face to register the flash of warmth in his eyes.  

“Ah, well.  He’s not easy to describe,” Magister Pavus said.  “I doubt you will see him much honestly.  I’ll settle you at the inn and go onto the villa myself.  No objections,” he said with a hint of true firmness when Nera began to protest.  

Well.  She swallowed her frustration.  Magister Pavus was the most difficult client she’d ever had.  

_They’re lovers_ , she reminded herself with a touch of guilt.   _They deserve time alone._

But if Magister Pavus got hurt because of his romantic notions, Nera would kill him herself.  

They strayed from the topic of Magister Pavus’ friend back to the safer grounds of magical theory.  Magister Pavus had been delighted to learn that Nera liked studying experimental magic and they often talked at length about spells that they could create as well as those they probably shouldn’t.  The conversation held all the way to the first stop that night at a small inn and continued the next morning.  

They’d reached a heavily forested area when Nera’s senses began to prickle.  She kept answering Magister Pavus when he spoke, but her attention turned almost entirely their immediate surroundings.  It felt as though someone were watching them.  But no matter where she looked, she didn’t see anyone.  Magister Pavus’ excited chatter about a new kind of healing spell prevented him from noticing.  Nera allowed them to keep walking.  If someone _was_ watching them, she didn’t want them to know she’d noticed.  

“...which really shouldn’t be too hard if you keep your focus on the right concepts,” Magister Pavus was saying.  “The thing is-”

“Get down!”  

Nera only had a second to push Magister Pavus out of the way before wrenching her staff free and shooting a ball of ice at the _massive_ Qunari that literally appeared out of nowhere.  She’d never seen a Qunari in real life and now she understood the childhood stories of beastly monsters with huge bodies and powerful weapons.  The Qunari was easily 7 and a half feet tall and he carried a broad axe that he used to deflect the ice ball.  

“Run!” Nera shouted to Magister Pavus, but the thing was, the Qunari seemed to be ignoring him.  He concentrated totally on Nera, swinging his axe at her.  She deflected the blow with her staff and kicked out, hitting a leg that was far too solid to be affected.  The Qunari swung his ax again and gave a shout of triumph when she caught him in the shoulder with a streak of hail. 

Wait...triumph?

 

“...you incredible ass!  Stop it this instance!”

Nera ducked to avoid a blow to the face and then felt a thrill of horror when she saw Magister Pavus step between them and reach up to slap the Qunari in the shoulder.  Just slapped him lightly like he was a naughty overexcited puppy.

“Magister Pavus, what-

 

“I already _told_ you she was talented,” he was hissing at the Qunari, who had stopped fighting and now looked a touch shamefaced.  Nera was able to note more about his appearance now.  His face was lined with scars and one eye was gone, covered by an elegant patch.  Clearly he’d seen plenty of fighting in his past.  He wore a pair of billowing red and purple striped pants and no shirt.  His chest was exceedingly broad.

“What if you had really hurt her?” Magister Pavus asked grumpily.

“I wasn’t gonna hurt her,” he insisted, sounding equally annoyed.  “You know I can pull my punches.  I just had to make sure.”  

Magister Pavus threw up his hands and released an irritated sound.

Nera was totally confused.

“Are we...not being attacked?” she asked cautiously.

“No, you were being tested and I’m afraid it was very rude.  Bull, you apologize,” Magister Pavus said sternly.  

The Qunari turned to Nera and any hint of guilt washed away in favor of a massive grin.  The smile seemed to light up his entire being.  He held out a hand for her to shake.  Nera felt like she’d fallen asleep and this was a very strange dream.  

“Sorry about that, chief,” he said.  His hand completely engulfed hers.  “Just had to make sure you were keeping him safe.”

Nera suddenly understood.  The voice was gruff and low and finally familiar.  This Qunari was the man from the crystal.  Her master’s amatus was a giant one-eyed Qunari with enormous horns jutting from either side of his head.  

Well.  How very strange.  

“I understand,” she said and she really meant it.  “It’s difficult not to become protective of him, isn’t it?”

 

The Qunari--Bull, was it?--grinned again.

“You can’t really explain it, can you?”

Nera smiled back and shook her head.

Behind Bull, Magister Pavus made a pained noise and muttered, “Oh god, they’re bonding.”

Bull turned back to him and Nera politely turned away as he lifted Magister Pavus into what looked like a bone-crushing hug.  When she heard wet smacking sounds, she made a face.

“I’m going to continue onto the inn,” she said loudly.

Magister Pavus’ answer was muffled against Bull’s lips.  

 


End file.
